Final report - Integrated Land Management Bureau

• housing
According to editor Peggy Edwards (2002), evidence from Canada and other countries supports
the notion that the socioeconomic circumstances of individuals and groups are equally or more
important to health status than medical care and personal health behaviors (Evans et al., 1994;
Frank, 1995; Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health, 1999).
The weight of the evidence suggests that the social determinants of health have a direct impact
on the health of individuals and populations, are the best predictors of individual and population
health, structure lifestyle choices, and interact with each other to produce health (Raphael, 2003).
5. Human Development Index
In the area of international development, the United Nations’ Human Development Index
(UNDP HDI) has become one of the most widely accepted indicators. The HDI is based on a
definition of human development that is characterized by the UNDP as “an expansion of
choices” (UNDP 2006). Three aspects of well-being comprise the HDI: health, knowledge, and
access to material goods. These three dimensions are identified by the UNDP as necessary for
the making of meaningful choices by individuals, which requires reasonable levels of health and
longevity, literacy, some level of education, and a minimal level of material well-being. While it
is widely used internationally, the Human Development Index has been used primarily as a tool
for comparing jurisdictions rather than for tracking changes over time.
6. First Nations Indices
Based on the UNDP HDI discussed above, the Registered Indian Human Development Index
(HDI) was developed by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to measure the well-being
of Registered Indians using Statistics Canada census data to measure three indicators (a long and
healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living). A life expectancy index, an education
index, and a per capita income index are combined to create a consolidated human development
index. The HDI measures average levels of well-being among Registered Indians at the national
and regional levels. Like other indices, the HDI is primarily a tool for comparing jurisdictions
rather than for tracking changes over time.
The First Nations Community Well-being Index (CWB) was developed in 2005 as a complement
to the Registered Indian Human Development Index and measures the well-being of individual
First Nations communities. The CWB was calculated using data derived from national census
data. Four indicators (education, labour force activity, income, and housing) were combined to
give each community a well-being score. (See http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/R2-400-
2005E.pdf). In a review of the First Nations Community Well-being Index, Cooke (2005) states
that the indicators in the CWB index are well chosen, but concedes that Census under-coverage
of Aboriginal people has been long identified as a problem, leading to possible reliability
problems. Nonetheless, Cook says, this index offers a way to compare Aboriginal and Non-
Aboriginal communities over a long time period.
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